Hanging Rock State Park provides a glimpse into a different side of North Carolina - impressive cliffs, massive rock formations, ample forests and pounding waterfalls give way to the piedmont plateau and views from the old ranger tower location atop Moore's Knob that stretch for miles.
Hanging Rock Park offers over 20 miles of hiking trails, 73 tent sites or vacation cabins for camping, a friendly park staff, 8.4 miles of mountain biking trails, and Dan River paddling and rock climbing opportunities. The park has lots of biodiversity and natural beauty; come see the spring peepers, chorus frogs, and mountain laurel. Join an interpretive program, visit a cool mountain lake with recreation opportunities for swimmers and fishermen.

What a fun and somewhat challenging hike! We took the longer route (to the left to start out) and it was a nice and steady incline until we got to the rocks then it really got interesting! I had my 8 and 10 year old with me and we all managed just fine. The top is totally worth the climb. You have a 360 degree view! The stairs on the way back down (going the opposite way), were covered in leaves but not slippery. It will be fun to do the hike in the reverse order next time. Well marked and maintained. (Red and white circles). Highly recommend!

Hanging Rock is not my favorite but it’s close to home. This trail has over 700 stone stairs that will tear your knees up! No matter what shape you’re in. Not a very good design for a trail. I start with the stairs if I’m going to do Moore’s at all

I have loved this spot since I was a kid, alot more crowded in the summer now, but good cool down hike after any of the longer ones In the park. perfect place to get children in the water when warm enough. instagram@jculler421

Did just the Moore’s wall part of the trail today and it was absolutely lovely!! The trip to the top was a good workout but totally doable. Views spectacular without having to go all the way to the “big” mountains of N.C.!!!

Straight up Stairs! This is a good and challenging trial with a view that is worth the effort. I don’t mind hiking moderate trails, but this one had a good section of the trail as stairs with timbers or stone steps, which is hard on my knees, especially on the way down. It also makes the trial narrow in places which caused for bottle necks. Fun hike, very busy on a fall weekend, but the view is so worth it.

Great hike- nice climb and scenic view at the top. I definitely recommend taking the left (clockwise) side of the loop on the way up. More scenic and variable terrain compared to taking the side that has stairs.

Fun exercise, especially in the fall! The best way to do it is start with Moore’s Wall...700+ stairs to climb...but CLIMBING stairs is way better than coming down that many. Too hard on the knees. Check in at the Visitor’s Center and tell them you are doing the Challenge. They’ll give you a paper to log your times at each Trailhead. I took the MST trailhead, at the Visitors Center parking lot, to the lake, and started Moore’s there. The Visitors Center people will tell you to walk up the road through the camp ground, if you start with Moore’s Wall. But I would much rather walk a trail! When you’re finished, turn your times in and you can get a ‘5 Overlooks Challenge’ patch. Pretty cool. For a real challenge, you should add the Indian Creek Trail for another 8 miles...total of around 18. Now that’s a challenge and a GREAT day :)

This is a really nice hike. We did, in fact, go counter-clockwise and started with Moore's Knob, which is what I would recommend. Strava says 10.5 miles with a little under 2000' of elevation change. Moore's Knob and Hanging Rock are the coolest, the other "peaks" are cool too, but the other definitely stand out. Great trail for dogs, mine had a blast. The entire trail is well-shaded, so cool even if the sun is out. A bit out of the way for us in Raleigh, but was definitely worth the day trip.

From the Dan River to the Hanging Rock State Park parking lot, this trail takes you across maybe 10 creek crossings, with several up to ankle deep as well as takes you to Window and Hidden Falls near the top; I hiked this during the Pilot Mtn to Hanging Rock 32 mile event., as 100s of runners came down the trail as I was going down and up. Nice cool fall day and a great hike!

I started out using the left side is the loop. This part of the loop is @2.8 miles. This was easy until @1.5 miles in and then it started uphill. Once I reached the top I decided to go on the remainder of the loop which is straight down. There are a good bit of step rocks going down so you have to be careful not to go to fast. The second part of my trek was @1.8 miles. This part took a lot less time than the first part of the hike. I only met one man his child on the way up and then maybe 6 people on the way down. Much less traveled trail than others in the part.

Well maintained trail. Easy hike if you are in shape. Not too busy. Great 360 degree views from lookout tower. Too early to see the leaves changing and too late to jump in the lake after a sweaty hike. The beach was closed already by the trailhead.